Rahul Gandhi leads opposition march to Rajghat on third day of protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Opposition parties kept up their agitation in Delhi for a third straight day on Thursday, 8 October, pressing for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi is at the head of the demonstration, which also targets alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise. Congress leaders and MPs from the wider INDIA bloc have joined him on the streets.

On Thursday the leaders set out for Rajghat. Gandhi said close to 300 MPs would gather at the memorial and protest peacefully. Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi had first eaten at the Moats restaurant in Connaught Place and then left with several MPs. The convoy went by Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg and passed the BJP office. Gandhi was seen on a bus, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge seated behind him. K.C. Venugopal, Pawan Khera, Pranav Jha, Praniti Shinde and Srinivas were reported to be aboard, and more INDIA bloc MPs were said to be travelling with the convoy. A large group of Youth Congress workers had already reached the memorial.

Kharge said the leaders would hold a peaceful sit-in at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial and pray there for wisdom for the government. In his words, the prayer is meant to make the BJP government, and in particular Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, realise that their decisions do not serve the country's interest.

The police have clamped down on the area. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) is in force around Rajghat, banning any gathering of more than five people. A big police force is posted there, even as some Congress workers were already raising slogans. Near the Election Commission office a high alert is in place, with riot-control vehicles and Rapid Action Force personnel stationed outside the building.

The protest began on Tuesday, when Gandhi and a number of MPs walked towards the Election Commission office. Police stopped them, and Gandhi sat down near Akashvani Bhavan. After roughly eight hours, the police detained him along with the other MPs.

On Wednesday, the second day, Kharge hosted a lunch for INDIA bloc MPs. They then started for Jantar Mantar but were halted again. Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and several other MPs were detained once more. There was also a sharp scuffle between police and protesters when Gandhi was prevented from reaching Jantar Mantar, where he had earlier announced a demonstration. On Thursday he said he would head straight for Rajghat instead.

Gandhi has complained that for two days the authorities have not let the opposition protest, and he says he is still being prevented. He has also alleged that Modi, Shah and Gyanesh Kumar have wrecked democracy in the country through "vote chori". These are his allegations. He has warned that those involved would certainly face punishment. Before this, the All India Students Association had held a strong protest of its own on the same demand, and the Congress has now joined in with its own agitation.

Gandhi has also called Mamata Banerjee, the former West Bengal chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray, the former Maharashtra chief minister, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to the capital. The reported aim is to work out a joint strategy with the main INDIA bloc parties to step up the campaign against Kumar. The protest looks set to grow.

The country is watching the march closely. It is not yet clear whether the police will block Gandhi once more or allow him to reach Rajghat.